Dream Catcher
by Kimitsuzue
Summary: When Raven realizes that her life isn't what it used to be, she starts searching for a part of her that went missing a long time ago... a part of her that just might have something to do with the smooth-talking criminal making nightly visits to the tower.
1. Wake Up Call

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or any of its characters. All rights belong to Cartoon Network and others.**

Hello, I'm Kisaiyo and this is my first attempt at a Teen Titans fanfiction! If you stumbled in here randomly, then just to let you know, this is mostly a Raven/Red-X fanfiction with bits of others thrown in for the ride. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! And excuse my failed attempt at a title...

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**Dream Catcher**

**Chapter 1: Wake up Call**

Frozen—everything around her felt like it had stopped... time was no exception.

Raven yanked the bed sheets up to her shoulders and nestled her face into a pillow, willing herself to return to sleep and toss away the dangerous thoughts that invaded the recesses of her mind.

_Frozen. _She scoffed inwardly at the thought but felt a niggling feeling poke at her insides. Was her life really that _dull_? It couldn't be... it _shouldn't_, she decided. Besides...frozen was _good._ It was safe_—consistent..._right? She groaned and shoved a pillow over her head. _Stop thinking!_

She sighed in exasperation and threw the pillow aside. This wasn't working. Her violet eyes flew open and her steady gaze rose to the tall glass windows across the dark room. Pouring rain obscured her view of Jump city, but the dampness of the outside air felt as though it had seeped into every fiber of her surroundings and leaked into her very being. Something inside of her felt broken... or maybe _missing_ was the better term.

The sheet of water continued to slide across the glass and made her feel anxious for space. "Damn," she muttered, voice still gravelly with sleep. She rubbed at her head and felt the headache coming on. For _weeks_ she had been doing this—waking up and feeling like total garbage... she growled and removed the covers, swinging her legs over the side of her bed. The headaches had gotten worse.

Clutching at her head she managed to pull herself to a stand, stumbling around as she made her way to the door. It slid open with a hiss of air and the mass of metal moved out of her way to allow her passage. The hall was just as dark as her room without any lighting or windows... In fact, it felt cold and rather detached, she observed, almost falling to the ground as she felt her powers flare up and attempt to take hold.

Raven swore under her breath and shoved herself into the bathroom, locking the heavy door behind her. She glanced at herself in the mirror and couldn't restrain herself from frowning at her reflection. She _looked_ fine... what the _hell_ was wrong with her?

Her headache spiked and sent her vision into a catastrophe of blurred colors. Gripping the marble counter, she struggled to keep standing and waited for the pain to slowly ebb away. Things were getting out of control! She needed to do something and it had to be done _immediately_. She inhaled deeply, rested her face against the cool, smooth marble, and let out a shaky breath. The pains made her feel like her legs weren't a attached to her body. Blinking as the pain slowly subsided, she raised her head up to stare into the mirror.

Raven glared at the image—it was _weakness_. Above her father and all other evils it was the one other thing she hated most. She yanked open a drawer and grabbed for a bottle of medicine, tearing off the cover with a _pop!_ Two white pills rolled onto her hand as she shook the container. _I need to do something... _Tossing the pills into her mouth and swallowing, she felt a slight gurgle erupt from her stomach.

"Ugh..." The medicine was starting to make her drowsy and her stomach a little uneasy. Without much thought, she unlocked the door and drunkenly walked out into the hall. Halfway to her room, she stopped to rest her head against the wall, reveling in the feeling of the cold metal pressed against her heated skin. She slid to the floor in a heap of blue and began to breathe deeply...

"...ven..."

_Huh...?_

"Raven...Hey! Raven...!"

The familiar voice penetrated her veil of sleep and her brows furrowed together as she opened her eyes. "Beast Boy...? What are you doing in my room?" She sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

The green changeling frowned. "Dude! This is _so_ not your room! Are you feelin' alright?" His exaggerated hand motions only made her feel more irritable.

"Forget it," she grumbled. She jerked up into the air, hovering slightly above the ground. "I'm going to my room."

Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "You could at _least_ thank me!"

She paused. "_Thanks," _she muttered sarcastically, floating out of the room. She knew it sounded rude and ungrateful, but the tone and nuances had become second nature to her... Beast Boy would be fine. Just like always, she reasoned, letting the heavy door clank to its closed position. Clearing her mind, she moved on. It was time to meditate.

As the door slammed, Beast boy turned on his heel with another huff and stomped his way over to the refrigerator, yanking the door open and pulling out a container of soy milk. He glared at its green label before twisting off the cover and taking a long drink. So much for being _nice_! He tossed the empty container and grit his teeth as he began muttering incoherently, steam leaking out of his pointed ears. Whenever he tried being _nice_ he ended up on Raven's _hit_ list!

A single moment of silence filled the air until Robin stepped into the room and noticed Beast Boy's less than happy mood. "Anything wrong?" He rested his gloved hand over his comrade's shoulder with a worried expression playing across his face. He had no clue as to why his green teammate seemed so irritable, but he'd make it his job to figure it out one way or another.

Without any hesitation, Beast Boy began to rant. "I'll _tell_ you what happened! I found Raven completely out _cold_ in the hallway, so _I_ picked her up and set her down on the couch and then _I_ sat there watching her for nearly _two_ hours taking care of her and then _she_ acts as though I did something _ wrong_!"

Robin frowned.

"Don't give me that _look_," Beast Boy chided, gently prying the other boy's hand from his shoulder.

"Maybe she was cranky since she just woke up?" It wasn't much help, but whatever he could think of was fine for the moment. Besides, Raven wasn't really a morning person anyways.

Beast Boy's eyes narrowed. "Fine, whatever you say," he mumbled, finally regaining his composure. If Raven wanted to be Raven that was fine with him...but it wasn't going to be _his_ problem.

"Wait."

The look on Robin's face made Beast Boy chuckle a little—really, it was almost priceless. He cocked his head to the side and smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, I'm not planning some kind of revenge prank or anything."

Robin smiled, Beast Boy was actually growing up! With a gentle wave of his hand, he sent his friend off. "Forget I said anything," Robin replied. "Anyways... I'll go check on Raven," he declared.

Beast Boy's brow arched but he said nothing as he watched his leader head out to follow after their dark teammate. Something made him continue to stare off though, an utter strangeness that infiltrated his senses and made him pause to breathe. What was this...? He shook his head groaned. It just _had_ to be the soy milk... _I shoul'dve known that two weeks after the expiration date was too much!_ He ran off for the bathroom, clutching his stomach all the way across the halls.

"Azarath, metrion, zin--"

_Knock, knock, knock...!_

Augh! Couldn't she have just one moment of peace?

Robin stepped back from the door. "Raven... can I come in?"

She glared at him through the door, silently willing him to turn back and leave her alone. Her day was bad enough as it was, hell—her _weeks_ had been nothing _but_ bad! She closed her eyes and let out a breath of pent up frustration. "I'm _busy_," she lied, still glaring.

Robin frowned. He knew she wasn't busy because she _never_ was. It was just one of her many ways of telling him to get lost and not come back. He rapped his gloved knuckles on her metal door once more and he called out, "Raven, I just want to talk."

Talk? Since when did she and Robin ever _talk_. The way he said it made talking sound more like laughing at Beast Boy—something that should _never_ happen, especially if it was her! She rubbed at her temples. "I can hear you just fine from where you are."

Now he was getting frustrated. "Raven, open the door!" He banged on the metal loudly and was prepared to kick it down if she didn't open it the next—_whoosh!_

The door opened and Robin flailed as he attempted to regain his balance. "Hey, Raven," he said smoothly, plastering on a nervous smile.

"_What_?" Her amethyst eyes narrowed in annoyance. The banging nonsense had gone on longer than it needed, there was no reason for Robin to have to stutter and make things even slower. She crossed her arms and popped her hip as she waited for the boy to start talking.

"I was just wondering... is there something going on with you?" He rubbed at the back of his neck but looked genuinely concerned.

Her gaze seemed to darken by a fraction, unbeknownst to the hero. "I'm fine, so will you leave?" She was getting tired of this. She just wanted to be left alone so she could go back into her room and find a good bock or something equally interesting to lose herself in. Was it too much to ask? Not to mention the fact that she hadn't had time to meditate yet...

"Look, I _know_ there's _something_ you aren't telling me," he mumbled, slightly disheartened that the girl wouldn't even bother to give him a hint.

"It's nothing, just _go_," she muttered, the gravelly tone in her voice cutting though him like a sharpened blade. She stepped back and let the door slide shut in Robin's face.

He turned and groaned, running a hand through his spiky hair in frustration. Throughout all the years he'd lived with Raven in Titan Tower, she had never opened up to him! This time he wasn't going to give up though, this time would be different, he told himself. He glanced back over his shoulder at Raven's door. Whatever it was that was going on with her, he would definitely find out!

When her only reply was silence, she felt the tension ease away and her mind slip into a daze. She had always tried to hide herself from others—keep things in and people out. It was just her way of life... so how did Robin manage to see right through her? Not just once, but many times?

It wasn't strange for Robin to at least sense it, but to pin her down and attempt to investigate was something he hadn't done quite so..._directly_ before. She chewed at her bottom lip and fell back on her bed with a quiet _thud_. What was Robin trying to do? More importantly, _why_? None of it added up.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

The pounding jarred her out of her daydream and she immediately let out a low growl. "Robin, how many times do I have to tell you to go a--"

_Hsss..._

The door slid open and Raven immediately realized that the figure standing in the doorway looked vaguely familiar and it was definitely _not_ Robin. "Who...?" She gasped as he stepped forward and let out a quiet, bone-chilling laugh.

It sounded electronic, the small spaces in between each vibration of the tone and the strange echoing effect that bounced the sound around the room. All of it could only belong to one person...no, one _criminal—_Red X.

**End of Chapter 1**

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**All right, so this is a short chapter but I'm really hoping to continue and post new chapters as often as I can. Thank you for reading and if you have some time, please let me know what you think!


	2. Blackmail

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or any of its characters.**

Hello again! I'm glad you guys seemed to enjoy chapter one, so I came back with chapter two!

(Also, if there is any confusion about the rating on this fanfiction, you aren't imagining things. I've been constantly changing the rating between T and M 'cause I can't decide whether I want Red-X and Raven to have a -ahem- _heated_ relationship... especially since I've been wondering about what age groups are actually reading this fanfiction. After all Teen Titans, while it appeals to older audiences, was primarily aimed at the younger age groups. :/ Anyways, if you guys have a preference for the rating, stop by my profile and vote in the poll I guess. Or just mention it in some sort of message, whatever works for you.)

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**Dream Catcher**

**Chapter 2: Blackmail**

It was foreign... _he_ was foreign—everything about the _situation_ felt _wrong_ somehow. The way his voice reverberated throughout her room, his shadowy silhouette against the harsh steel, and the way his eyes gleamed from behind his mask. All of it was a mess.

Raven stepped back and glared. "What are you doing here?" Her usually demanding voice was low and gravelly—almost a gentle whisper rather than her intended threat. What was wrong with her voice? It never faltered before...

He smiled mischievously behind his mask in realization. _Threats? Pfft, she's shaking like a leaf!_ He smirked cockily and shook his head. "Raven, Raven, _Raven_," he sang, leaning against the door frame. "I can almost swear that you're trying to _threaten_ me," he teased.

Her jaw tensed as she attempted to glare back with whatever strength she could muster after hearing the smirk ring out clearly in his voice. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to scowl. "I suppose you could say that," she muttered bitterly. Inwardly she groaned. This was _ridiculous_. Completely and _utterly_ ridiculous. What would a criminal like Red-X be doing in Titan Tower, let alone _her_ room? There was nothing to steal, nothing interesting, heck, her room was practically storage!

Red-X chuckled. "Babe," he called smoothly, swaying off the wall and sauntering over to her petite form. "I don't know about you, but I'd say that there's a lot of chemistry between you and I... in fact, this beauty in particular..."

Raven's amethyst eyes darted to the book in his hands... her book of spells!

Her eyes narrowed as she looked up and reached out for the book. When the man simply lifted it out of her reach, she growled. "Hand it over! That book isn't a toy!" She jabbed him in the shoulder and reached. He simply continued to tease her, pulling the book out of her reach and dodging her advances as she went along. He couldn't help the slightly offhand thoughts that began racing through his mind and barely kept from chuckling aloud.

Knowingly, he backed himself up against the window and smirked beneath his mask as she unconsciously pressed up against him. He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered darkly, "while I really enjoy the way things are, I'm afraid it's time for me to take my leave." He rested his free hand on her shoulder to emphasize his point and waited for her to make her move.

As realization dawned on her, she jerked back and watched as the man disappeared through the window. What an arrogant, cocky, selfish—! Wait... he stole her book! She clenched her fists and chanted her mantra, "azarath, metrion, zinthos...!" She fazed through the window and searched around for the elusive criminal. When she spotted him running on the docks, she began to chase after him, wind sending her violet tresses dancing wildly in the wind.

She would catch him and _force_ him to return the book...! But... she lifted a hand to her heart, feeling her chest constrict a little as she raced through the skies. Why was she chasing him? Sure, it was a spell book, no doubt containing a dangerous spell or two, but nothing she couldn't counter herself... She shook the thought. It didn't matter _what_ he stole, the fact was that he still _stole_ from _her_! She dove down towards the ground and flew alongside him.

_Halfway there,_ he thought happily, until Raven flew into his line of sight and made him skid to a halt. "My, my, I had no idea you wanted me to stay so _badly..._"

She grit her teeth before stomping over to him and poking her finger right into his chest. "Listen _you_. I want my book back!" When had she ever become so... comfortable with being around him? He was a criminal, not a friend! She jabbed him one more time to settle her thoughts.

"Ouch," he mumbled softly, playfully. He lifted his hands to show that the book was gone and simply let his fingers brush gently over her shoulders as he drew her close. "The book is already out of my hands, but if you'd like, I have something you might like even more," he whispered. Feeling her tense beneath his touch, he smiled to himself. She was nothing like any of the other girls he'd normally hit on. She was much darker, mysterious, and undeniably tantalizing—almost as if the very idea that she _didn't _like him, and in fact _hated_ him fueled the intensity and caused a fire to ignite somewhere within him.

She crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Really? Do tell," she challenged, completely ignorant of the suggestiveness behind the man's tone. If the guy wanted to make her some sort of peace offering, he must be out of his mind! She glared with renewed intensity when he started eying her slightly differently. It was as if he were... checking her out... "W-wait a--"

He let the pad of his thumb brush over her soft lips and pulled down the black material that covered the lower half of his face. "Well then," he interjected purposefully. "who am I to deny such a lovely lady from this little gift of mine..." He lifted his mask slightly and pulled her frozen form closer as he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

Raven froze. He kissed her... _Red-X _kissed her! In what world was that supposed to be _legal_?! This couldn't be happening.... she just _had _ to be dreaming, right? She had never been kissed in her _life_ so there was just _no_ way that this could be real... _He's the __**enemy**__!_

Before she could gather any more of her thoughts and fight back, he was already walking away with his mask back in place as he waved goodbye. "If you intend to report back to your team, you'll have to include _every_ detail... or leave them for _me_ to explain," he chuckled, pointing to his lips to remind her of the kiss, the black material still left at his neck.

She watched as he made his escape. _Red-X_ kissed her. He _touched _her and _stole_ her spell book.... and now he was _blackmailing_ her! She felt heat rising to her cheeks and held in a cry of mortification. "Jerk!" What more could she do? If Robin knew—if _any_ of the titans knew, it would be _hell_. Starfire would probably ask her millions of questions nonstop, Cyborg would give her that fatherly look that always made her squirm, Beast Boy would freak out and end up telling all of Jump City and possibly parts of Steel City... and Robin.... She shuddered at the thought. If _he_ knew, God only knew what would happen _then_.

She huffed and kicked a rock off the dock before she began flying back to the tower. _If I ever see him again he is going to get it __**so **__badly! _She flew in through the broken window and sighed, staring back at the docks over her shoulder. _I'm going to make sure he—!_

_Knock, knock, knock!_ She groaned. Everyone seemed to want to get into her room today.

"Raven, are you alright? I could have sworn that I heard—"

Raven went to the door and let it open halfway, one of her amethyst eyes glaring out at her overly concerned leader. "You heard _nothing_," she assured bluntly.

Robin flinched backwards as she let the door slam shut. "But Raven, I thought—"

"You thought _wrong_," she muttered from the other side, willing the boy to leave as she fought to calm her nerves. If not admitting her _fear_ brought on the monsters of hell from a stupid horror movie, she couldn't imagine what sort of flowery princess kingdom the tower would turn into if she ended up having to deny _love_. She shuddered again. The thoughts going through her mind shouldn't have come up in the first place, she decided, slapping a hand over her face.

_But **love**... _She shook her head. _No. Such. **Thing**. _She threw herself on the bed and reveled in the feel of comfort running through her body. There was nothing to worry about. _Love_ was barely a part of her vocabulary let alone a part of her own mindset. If there was any _love_ it was nothing more than her feelings for her friends, her _team_. As emotional as she was, there was just no logical explanation for her having _anything _to love about Red-X of all people... _criminals_, she corrected inwardly.

Another knock came to the door. She swore under her breath. "_Robin_," she grit her teeth and balled her hand into a fist as she forced herself up one more time to yell at the boy blunder probably standing on the other side of her door. After all, Red-X wouldn't bother visiting _twice_ in one night. He was cocky and overly confident, but from their previous encounters he obviously wasn't _that_ stupid.

"I'm coming in," he declared, only moments after jamming his master key into the lock with great impatience. Whatever had her keeping him out of her room was making him concerned, worried, even _irritated_ that she wouldn't even give him some sort of clue... then again, what _should_ he have expected? Raven was as much of a mystery as the stars themselves.

"No! Don't—!" Her powers sparked to life at her fingertips but she realized it was too late when Robin was already staring at the broken pane of glass that was formerly her window.

He raised a brow and eyed her with suspicion dancing across his handsome features. "Raven, did you...?"

"Yes, Robin, I broke my window," she ground out sarcastically.

"Raven why don't you jus—"

"I don't _feel_ like it."

"But you didn't even let me—"

"Finish? I'm an _empath_ Robin. I don't _need_ to hear it said aloud."

He frowned. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened," he said seriously, crossing his arms and taking a seat on her bed. "It can't be _that_ bad, could it?"

Her brows knit together and she couldn't resist pulling her hood up over her head. "It's _nothing_."

"Raven, I've been around long enough to know that when it come to you—it's _never_ nothing." He waited in silence, allowing her to soak in his words and take in the awkward silence that came with it. She needed to learn that he was _there_ for her as a comrade _and_ a friend.

She turned away from him and wracked her brain for some sort of an excuse—_anything_ to get him out of her room. _Think of something!_ She felt like slapping herself. "I—I just got mad, and let it get out of control a little. _No_ big deal," she lied.

He pursed his lips together in a fine line. Losing control? _That_ wasn't something Raven did unless something _insane_ happened... and he didn't recall any massive explosions or predictions of the end of mankind lately... "I see... well, I suppose I'll just get around to having your window replaced..." If she wanted to play the criminal, he would more than gladly take up the role of detective in this game she seemed to want to play. Too bad she chose the wrong side... _good guys always win_, he thought to himself, smirking as he glanced over at the broken glass and headed to the door.

She sighed. Maybe she finally got rid of him for the day?

"I'll be back with the new glass panel in a minute."

_Damn_. She glared at the door as she tried not to screech in frustration. Screeching was for animals and screaming was for the weak. She huffed. Where was the balance in her life?

"Hey, Rae."

_Oh. **Joy**. Beast Boy has joined the party. **Fantastic**. _

The green boy peered in through the doorway as if wary of being attacked and smiled nervously with his usual toothy grin as he finally showed himself clearly. "I was wondering if I could make it up to you..."

What was he talking about? She raised a brow and tried to recall what he could be talking about. "Umm...?"

"For the window...?" He pointed weakly at the broken glass.

Wait. Why was _he_ trying to make it up to her? _Red-X_ was the one who broke it, wasn't he? Was the insanity of her day causing her to lose her mind? "What do you mean?" She was dumbfounded now. Here Beast Boy was, claiming that the broken window was _his_ fault when she had seen with her own two eyes that _Red-X_ shattered the glass and made his escape through it.

He shrugged and scratched at the back of his head. "Well, you see... I was out doing some training and I was using the new equipment even though Cyborg told me not to and... yeah. I sorta didn't know what I was doing and I think it flung some kind of thingy at your window and broke it... hehe?"

"Some sort of _thingy_?" Couldn't he expand his vocabulary sometimes soon? She muttered and gave Beast Boy a bored look. "Don't worry about it, you didn't break it. _I_ did," she lied again. How many times would she have to explain the lie? It was starting to make her stomach churn...

"Huh?! But—but I _saw_ it! The thing flew at your window and then in went down and you flew out of your window and th—mmph!"

Raven slapped her hands over Beast Boys mouth and glared. Robin was nearby. She yanked Beast Boy close and whispered into his ear in a low, quiet voice. "We'll talk _later_. Don't say anything else or you're _dead,"_ she threatened venomously, releasing him just in time for Robin's expected arrival.

Robin nodded towards Beast Boy in greeting and simply walked over to the window, taking out the broken bits of glass remaining in the window frame. "Raven, I'll have it done within the next half hour but could you help me out?" He was going to get her to talk about what _really_ happened, and it was the perfect opportunity to strike. "Just come over here and help me out a little."

She gave Beast Boy a final death glare and hovered over to Robin. He handed her a measuring tape and pointed to the frame. Was he _serious_? He could do it _himself_! She simply bent down and began measuring. It was probably some sort of elaborate trick to get her to start talking. After all, he was _Robin_.

He frowned when she didn't try to argue about not wanting to do the work. If Raven didn't break it herself, she'd want the criminal to fix it themselves and say so _too_. Something was _off. _

After taking the measurements, she reported her results to Robin, who nodded and made some marking before taking out some screws here and there and trying to fit in the new panel. Why wasn't she _talking_ yet? Usually she would crack after this long... he wanted to punch something out of frustration. Only when it came to Raven he would feel like this—a sense of defeat and inferiority. Perhaps it was her demeanor that made him feel that way, or maybe he was just being an idiot... "...there! I'm done," he announced proudly.

"Thanks," she mumbled, using her powers to pick up the broken glass and move them to the trash can sitting at her bedside. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to--"

"Raven, you _know_ that _I_ know that there's something _up."_

"As soon as I manage to wrap my head around that ridiculous sentence of yours, I'll get back to you. As for now, I have things to attend to," she said briskly, disappearing into the hallway before he could say anymore. Robin was definitely playing detective with her... but there was no way she would ever let him find out that her first kiss was with one of _his_ worst nightmares. "Stupid, playboy criminal..." she muttered bitterly, trudging down the hall towards Beast Boys room. She'd have to ensure silence from him.

Robin stayed hidden at the corner and let his brows knit together as he began thinking about what Raven could possibly thinking. "Playboy criminals...?" Who could that...? _No_. It _can't _be. He stared at the space Raven was occupying only moments ago and brushed his fingers over his chin. _It __**couldn't**__ be...! _But, who else could it be? Robin felt the ends of his nerves light on fire. The only criminal he could think of that fit that description was... Red-X.

**End of Chapter 2**

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Alright, so Red-X is in the lead! (Lol.) As for Robin, you guys are probably wondering how he knew so quickly at the end... but I promise that it will be mentioned in the next chapter! I just sorta had to have Robin show off his awesome detective skills since he has to win at _something_ right? Can't have Red-X just take all the glory all the time... not that it would be too much of a bad thing anyways. ;) But anyways, this chapter was a lot of fun to write even though it got off to a bit of a rocky start, but I hope you guys enjoyed it? Well, as always, thank you for reading and please let me know what you think!

...And among other things, I started up a webpage and it would be really awesome if you guys could drop by and help me get the forums and other things running? Well, if you guys have time. :) It's called Tanashimou! (Let's Have Fun!) and you can get to the page by clicking on the homepage link listed in my profile here on ff. :) Anyways, again, thank you for reading!


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